“For the sake of the patriarchs”: Thoughts on the background of Romans 11:28b

 

… beloved for the sake of the fathers. (Romans 11:28b)

What a curious thought. Where did Paul get this? What was the origin of this declaration? Did he make it up? What is the Biblical background to this?

As you read you will begin to uncover the nature of the love which stirs God’s heart for Israel. Let’s begin with some verses in Deuteronomy and a poorly translated word.

“Chashaq”

Chashaq is an interesting Hebrew word. It connotes desire, longing, attraction and consequent attachment. In the context of relationships, chashaq is used to describe a common experience – and not a particularly pristine one, at that. Here are two verses where it is used to express a common aspect of human experience:

But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him in marriage. (Genesis 34:8)

and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her and would take her as a wife for yourself, (Deuteronomy 21:11)

In these two verses chashaq is translated ‘longs for’ and ‘desire.’ The context is plain. The meaning is clear. It describes the emotion a man has when he is strongly attracted to a woman, finding her so attractive that he wants to marry (be attached to) her.

In Psalm 91:14 this word is used to describe a relationship from man to God. It is translated ‘loved’ in the New American Standard:

Because he has loved (chashaq) Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.

Here are some other translations:

ESV Because he holds fast to me in love …

TNK “Because he is devoted to Me …

YLT Because in Me he hath delighted …

This word is utilized to describe the love God has for Israel and the patriarchs. Chashaq speaks of love, desire, attraction that produces attachment.

A Common Misunderstanding:

Surprisingly, this word is found in one of the primary verses mistakenly used to promote the perspective of volitional love. Many mistakenly believe that love is not a feeling provoked by the beloved. They contend that love is an act of the “lover’s” will.

The word chashaq is found in Deuteronomy 7:7 and, following the King James Version, is often mistranslated “set His love on you”: [1]

“The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,”

When the words ‘set His love on you’ are read, quoted, or taught, they are often interpreted as pointing to God’s willpower. These words seem to indicate that ‘His love’ was utilized through choice. Apparently God picked up His love and, through the use of volition, placed (set) His love upon Israel.

This view maintains that God chooses to love, and that this love is free from any loveliness found in the beloved. This opinion is often expressed by those who stress a specific view of God’s sovereignty. In fact, the Bible teaches that love chooses, but love is not mere choice. One chooses how to express love, but love is the motive, not the result of choice. The strength of the love determines the nature of the choice.

Notice, Deuteronomy 7:7 is part of a sentence. It is not a complete thought. Many tend to utilize this fragment to stress (often hyperbolically) that there was absolutely nothing worthwhile about Israel that warranted God’s choice. They reason that He loved the unlovely through unadulterated volition, for His own glory, and that the qualities of the beloved had nothing to do with this love. (People actually believe that this is what divine love is like.) However, the sentence does not end at the finish of verse 7; it continues. Here’s the entire sentence:

“The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7,8)

What these verses communicate is that the LORD delivered Israel because He loved them (He was attracted to them, He found them to be lovely) and kept the oath He swore to the patriarchs. Amazingly, in these verses, the God of Israel did not choose them that He might display His splendor. He did it because He loved them and was faithful to their fathers.

As in our earlier examples, the Hebrew word translated (in Deuteronomy 7:7) “set his love” is actually chashaq. We have seen that this doesn’t imply volition. The word connotes ‘attraction and attachment’ that is so strong that the lover, acting upon that emotion, chooses them to be his beloved.[2]

Something which might attract a lesser ‘deity’s’ attention, the number of worshipers, did not figure into God’s equation. It didn’t count as a factor in the LORD’s heart being drawn to Israel. Something else attracted God’s love and it is not mentioned in verse 7. An aspect of this attraction is hinted at in verse 8 when the covenant vows made to the patriarchs are brought to mind. As a matter of fact, this very word (chashaq) describes the same type of love the LORD had for the patriarchs. In Deuteronomy 10:15, it is translated: ‘set His affection.’

“Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection (chashaq) to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 10:15)

Let’s Compare:

Look at how different Deuteronomy 7:7,8a looks when chashaq is translated according to its relational intention and the rest of the sentence is viewed.

First read the common mistranslation:

“The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers … (Deuteronomy 7:7,8a)

Now read the translation with the actual definition of “Chashaq” in place:

“The LORD (was not attracted to you, and did not desire you), or choose you, because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers …

Doesn’t it feel different than “did not set His love on you”?

Deuteronomy 7:7,8 is intended to teach that God was radically attracted to Israel and the Jewish people, that He chose them because He really loved them, and also was faithful to the oath He swore to the patriarchs. Why did He enter into covenant with the patriarchs? He entered into covenant with them because He really loved them. This passage teaches that God chose because of God’s strong loving attraction, not love because of incredible volition.

Actually, Deuteronomy 7:7 is often taught as if the verse said this:

“The LORD did not find anything attractive about you so as to provoke Him to choose you.

“After all, there were not a lot of you, in fact you were the fewest of all peoples.

“However, He exercised His sovereign choice, to show how worthy of glory He is. His choice of you unworthy people proves that all His actions proceed from unmerited favor.”

If it were a matter of making a decision for His “glory’s” sake (like an insecure narcissist) He wouldn’t have chosen such a weak and apparently insignificant group. After all,

“In a multitude of people is a king’s glory.” (Proverbs 14:28a)

God’s Motive:  Holy Love

Let’s continue to contrast the way people teach about God “setting His love on” Israel with what the Bible actually says. A friend applied the same logic traditionally used in translating and preaching Deuteronomy 7:7 to how the word is used in Deuteronomy 21:11. The verse reads:

and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire (chashaq) for her and would take her as a wife for yourself, (Deuteronomy 21:11)

If we force chashaq to conform to the theological necessities of certain doctrinal systems, perhaps it would read this way:

If you see among the captives a woman that does not appeal to you (and sort of repels you),

and if you have no desire (chashaq) for her,

but really want to reveal how wonderful you are by taking her as a wife for yourself …

The reason God desired the descendants of the patriarchs was because He loved them.

One might argue, “but the Bible says they were the fewest of all peoples”. Nevertheless, He saw them as lovely, therefore He chose them. He wanted them as a young man desires a woman he finds to be lovely. Remember, God does not find “glorious” what humanity sees as “glorious.”

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (Matthew 16:23)

For those who forget about God’s priorities, remember that He is not attracted to human wisdom, power and wealth.

Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Summing Up:

Let’s summarize what we find when we study the ways chashaq is used in the Bible to describe relationships. Twice it is used to speak of the attraction of a man towards a woman he finds to be beautiful. We’ve seen two clear examples of it being used to inform the reader of God’s attraction to people: once to Israel and once to the patriarchs. Once it is used to portray the love the psalmist had for God which provoked a response in God towards the lover.

Deuteronomy 7:7, a verse popularly used to promote the view that God’s love has nothing to do with attraction is actually infused with vocabulary that teaches the opposite. God saw, God delighted in, God gives Himself to the objects of His love.

One commentary’s take on this…

The Lord set his love on you: … The verb means “desire” or “want.” The Septuagint translates with a verb that means “prefer,” “choose.”

And chose you: this additional verbal phrase may be joined to the previous one, as follows: “he decided you were the people he wanted, and so he chose you,” and the whole verse may be restructured as follows:

The Lord [or, Yahweh] decided that you were the people he wanted, and chose you. ^[3]

For the Sake of the Patriarchs: Transgenerational Love

Not only did He love Israel, not only was He attracted to them and attached to them, but they were also loved because God loved their ancestors. The One who chose Israel had given promises to the patriarchs concerning their descendants:

This is a foundational promise made to Abraham:

But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. (Genesis 17:19)

God confirmed His promise to Isaac:

The LORD appeared to [Isaac] the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendents, For the sake of My servant Abraham.” (Genesis 26:24)

Isaac’s unlikely heir, Jacob, heard the same word:

And behold, the LORD stood above it and said [to Jacob], “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. (Genesis 28:13)

Joseph revealed the way the patriarchs viewed themselves:

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” (Genesis 50:24)

This understanding is reinforced in the New Testament. Paul wrote:

…they are beloved for the sake of the fathers (Romans 11:28b)

God’s love for Israel and the Jewish people is not just the testimony of the “Old Testament”. It is a relevant part of Biblical faith. The revelation of this reality is intended to help shape the heart and the hope of the Church. That is why Paul spelled it out.

Transgenerational Covenant Between Friends

God’s love for Israel and the Jewish people is similar to Jonathan and David’s covenant. The covenant between these warriors had its origin in a deep love and was valid from generation to generation.

Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. (1 Samuel 18:3)

Jonathan said to David, “Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'” (1 Samuel 20:42a)

Love was the impetus that called forth the covenant. This love-covenant made David swear that he would care for Jonathan’s descendants.  This concern for Jonathan’s descendants illustrates and follows the pattern of God’s attachment to Israel. The LORD loved Israel and also confirmed the oath that He had sworn to the patriarchs. They were the descendants of Abraham, the man who loved God.[4]

“Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? (2 Chronicles 20:7)

“But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend, (Isaiah 41:8)

In these two verses we find a key as to why God made an oath to Abraham. God’s motive was His delight in the patriarch’s love for Himself. Astonishingly, the emphasis in these verses is not on God’s love for Abraham, but Abraham’s love for God! He was the man who was God’s friend. Abraham loved God enough to be His friend. Think of this: a man befriends God… and it affects the way God feels about that man – he’s “My friend.”

It brings to mind the verse we looked at from Psalm 91:

Because he has loved (chashaq) Me, therefore I will…

I wish it were not so, but love for God is a rare thing. Friendship towards God is precious to God. It moves God to a love which is so faithful that, according to Paul, it can endure through the ages and withstand any lack of reciprocity. Like the psalmist, as with Abraham, the Lord has constructed our relationship with Him so as to be mutual.

Therefore it says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8a)

This Revelation is Relevant

We looked at Deuteronomy 7:7-8. What we found described is attraction as well as transgenerational covenant loving-loyalty. It is the same principle found in Deut. 4.

Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 4:37-38)

God has not outgrown this love. This is the love that God has for Israel today. The New Testament puts it this way:

… as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. (Romans 11:28b)

They are chosen and beloved in the same way and for the same reason: God loved and chose their ancestors. Dare we believe it remains the same type of love? Can we dare to disbelieve?

They are still loved for the sake of the patriarchs.

God has not changed. The nature of His love remains the same. The enduring strength of His attraction undergirds the power of His choice. He is attached to them. He longs for Israel and the Jewish people to return to Him. This God is looking for those who, like Abraham, are His friends and are willing to enter into fellowship with His heart.

by David Harwood 2012